NEW CERTIFICATION INTEGRAL FOR BRAND MISSION TO HAVE 100% CIRCULAR BIKES BY 2025
- After two-year approval process, company becomes world’s first bike subscription company to be awarded certification
- B Corps are pioneers leading the way to a more inclusive, sustainable, and circular future
- Brand is working towards getting bikes 100% circular & company 100% climate neutral by 2025
London, October 10, 2022: Swapfiets, the world’s first bicycle subscription company has achieved the renowned B Corp certification. With a guiding mission of creating more liveable cities in the UK and across continental Europe, the scale-up brand, which began in Amsterdam in 2014 and operating in London since 2021, is committed to a system change in the micro mobility industry.
Swapfiets has turned the traditional bike ownership model on its head in recent years, as their members are part of a growing movement of European city dwellers who use a bike instead of owning it. And this month the company hit a new milestone – becoming officially B Corp certified. Following an extensive two-year approval process by B Lab, they have joined a network of pioneering companies – including brands such as Patagonia, Tony’s Chocolonely and KeepCup – all leveraging their business as a force for good.
Key stats
- Behind the scenes, a lot of work goes into creating a fully circular product line and the Swapfiets Deluxe 7 is now already 88% circular
- The company is also working towards climate neutral business operations by 2025
Be more Dutch
- Recent research* shows that if everyone in the world cycled as much every day as is done in the Netherlands, this would lead to 700 million tons less CO₂ emissions
- That amounts to 20 % of the current emissions of all passenger cars worldwide. And with more than 280,000 members in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Austria, Italy, and the United Kingdom, Swapfiets is determined to make a positive contribution to the quality of life in cities
- Joining the B Corp network offers new opportunities of knowledge sharing and joining forces with other mission-driven companies
“It is in our nature to question the status quo. We firmly believe in the transition from a linear to a circular economy with a closed chain. We smartly use the data from our bicycle repairs to design sustainable products and extend the life cycle of our bicycles. We are proud to join the B Corp community and see the certification as an additional promise and responsibility to our members. He continued: When we started Swapfiets in 2014, we had a disruptive vision towards the market because we look at property differently and want to use scarce raw materials in a smarter way. The ‘stop owning, start using’ message is still at the heart of everything we do and, in light of the climate crisis and resource scarcity, is more topical than ever.“
Richard Burger, Founder and Sustainability Director
The road to 100% circularity and climate neutrality – reuse, repair and recycle
Earlier this year, Swapfiets published their first Sustainability Report which included a summary and status of the impact-driven goals. The bar is set high with the aim of a 100% circular product line and 100% climate-neutral business operations by 2025, an ambition that has become even more important now that the B Corp certificate has been awarded. Making an impact on the five pillars of B Corp – governance, environment, employees, customers, and community – is paramount throughout Swapfiets’s organisation, operations, and chain.
In order to realize a 100% circular product line, innovation is taking place in the field of reuse, repair and recycled materials. A number of bicycles are already 77-88% circular. In addition to this, various pilots and collaborations are underway to, among other things, reduce waste and make corporate clothing in its stores more sustainable. Burger said:
“Based on an independent Life Cycle Assessment and analysis of our data, algorithms, and machine learning, we optimise our impact where possible and we have mapped out where we need to work harder. No one said it would be easy, but we, like other companies in the B Corp network, are determined to achieve our ambitious goals. In doing so, we take a vulnerable position, are transparent about our ambitions and speak honestly about the challenges associated with pioneering in a complex and rapidly changing world.”
Bron: Nature Communications Earth & Environment, August 2022.
Increase impact | stop owning, start using
Swapfiets accelerates to structurally deploy business as a force for good. A selection of examples of how Swapfiets is pioneering and increasing their impact, kilometer by kilometer:
- To extend the life of the bicycle tires, Swapfiets has started a unique collaboration with Vittoria2Go with which they offer ‘tyres as a service’ to strive for zero rubber waste.
- The bikes have more positive impact than regular bikes:
- The Swapfiets Deluxe 7 bicycle is 88% circular
- The Swapfiets Deluxe 7 has a 35% lower climate impact than a regular bicycle
- Metal has a high climate impact. That’s why Swapfiets innovates the 100% circular product line with a new type of recovered plastic from recycled plastic. This allows bicycle parts made of metal to be replaced.
- Swapfiets is experimenting with recycled materials and smarter circular design
- All Swapfiets offices, shops are running on 100% renewable electricity